Pubdate: Wed, 18 Jun 2014
Source: Colorado Springs Independent (CO)
Copyright: 2014 Colorado Springs Independent
Contact:  http://www.csindy.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1536
Author: Bryce Crawford
Column: CannaBiz

PIKES PEAK POT PUSHED TOWARD THE BALLOT, AND MORE

Peak region to vote?

Neither of the purveyors of pot in Manitou Springs are sharing an
opening date for their recreational wares. An employee at Reserve 1
says it just turned in its application to the state, while Bill
Conkling, owner of Maggie's Farm, simply texted back "Not yet" when
asked.

Regardless, the group trying to kill their businesses, No Retail
Marijuana in Manitou Springs (noretailmarijuana.com), reports that it
turned in double the amount of signatures needed to make the November
ballot - "as we all knew they would," says Conkling. City Clerk Donna
Kast did not return a verifying phone call by press time, but the
group is confident local voters will get a chance to just say no.

"We are in no way attempting to pass moral judgment on the use of
medical or recreational marijuana," says NRMMS spokesman Tim Haas in a
release. "We simply believe that the residents and businesses of
Manitou Springs should not be the litmus test and the only community
in the Pikes Peak Region to sell retail marijuana ..."

The proposed question would ask voters if Manitou should "prohibit the
operation of retail marijuana stores as defined in the constitution of
Colorado ... leaving intact the constitutional protection for medical
marijuana patients and primary caregivers ..."

Meanwhile, Colorado Springs City Council will consider its own ballot
question at a work session at 1 p.m., Monday, June 23. Leading the
charge is Councilor Jill Gaebler.

Weed taxes under assault

Outspoken Denver attorney Rob Corry lost the marijuana-tax battle when
65 percent of Colorado voters passed Proposition AA last year, so he's
continuing the war. Representing his group No Over Taxation, Corry has
filed a lawsuit against Gov. John Hickenlooper and the state
Department of Revenue alleging that paying Colorado's marijuana tax
violates the Fifth Amendment, which protects against
self-incrimination, because marijuana's still federally illegal and
the state's laws are subject to the constitutional "supremacy clause."
He's seeking unspecified damages and a refund of all related monies
collected to date.

Talking to the Indy, former U.S. assistant deputy attorney general
William Moschella says: "I think there's a rule of law problem here.
. [It's hard] to understand what's legal and what isn't." Speaking to
Denver's 9NEWS, a spokeswoman for Colorado Attorney General John
Suthers called the lawsuit "bizarre."

The bottom line

Colorado's recreational marijuana market is booming, with numbers from
April showing the celebratory month yielded some $22 million in sales,
an increase of 58 percent over pot's debut month of January. MMJ did
even better, with sales around $32 million.
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